A feast of kindness

Friday

Nov 23, 2012 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - More than the juicy turkey, savory stuffing, whipped potatoes and pumpkin pie, the arrival of Santa on 34th Street and the lineup of football games, Thanksgiving is, and always has been, about family.

Lori Gilbert

STOCKTON - More than the juicy turkey, savory stuffing, whipped potatoes and pumpkin pie, the arrival of Santa on 34th Street and the lineup of football games, Thanksgiving is, and always has been, about family.

It's that sense of belonging that had nearly 100 volunteers serving food to 635 guests at the Salvation Army's annual Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

"I don't have no family," said Pamela, a single mom who declined to give her last name as she sat with her young son and niece. "The Salvation Army is like family. It's welcoming."

At tables of eight, with enough to feed 450 people at one time in the gymnasium of the group's Weber Avenue facility, volunteers and guests sat together enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Mia Carmona, 39, and her mom, Diana Carmona, 62, were enjoying the food while waiting to serve meals to others.

"Normally, we eat dinner and go to Jackson or someplace to gamble," Mia Carmona said of her family's Thanksgiving tradition.

Although she moved to Stockton in January from Ventura County, where she volunteered at the Salvation Army, Carmona didn't waste time finding a way to help her new community on a holiday.

"I just figured there's a greater need in Stockton," Carmona said.

The need is great, as Salvation Army Capt. Cristian Sibaya discovered when he arrived with his wife earlier this year from New Mexico to lead the local chapter. He also found a community willing to help.

"This would not be possible without the Stockton community," Sibaya said. "I'm excited to see how many called and wanted to be here."

Employees of the California State Automobile Association donated most of the 24 turkeys, weighing 15 to 20 pounds each, that were cooked and served.

Others volunteers began preparing the dining room three days earlier, mopping the floor and setting up tables with plastic covers and chairs in intimate groupings.

Guests were seated and served by an army of volunteers of all ages, including students from Cesar Chavez and Lincoln high schools, Delta College and University of the Pacific.

Carlos Tovar, a 13-year-old student at Sierra Middle School, tagged along with his sisters, Lincoln High students and in his first venture as a volunteer anywhere, zoomed around the room delivering loaded plates of food.

"It's fun," Tovar said. "It feels good you can help out people who don't have homes or can't buy food."

Several of the volunteers came as a family and spent part of their time together giving back to others.

Danny Reynolds arrived about 11 a.m., just before the doors opened, and immediately found the closet where a bucket and mop were stored and began preparing for cleanup duty. His daughter, Erin, a senior at California State University, Sacramento, helped serve food.

"When my kids were young, we would always come here," Danny Reynolds said. "We haven't come in a few years, but I sent texts to my kids. They're all in college."

Erin was the only one of his three daughters who was free to join him Thursday.

"It's so great to start a tradition of volunteering," Danny Reynolds said. My kids are helping the community with a lot of nonprofit organizations. My wife and I helped in the community and wanted to teach our kids. We set a good example for them. When they were little, I used to take them to the blood bank, and now they give blood."

His sister-in-law, Tammy Johnson, also joined Reynolds and his daughter. She'd lost her husband this year and was having a tough time as Thanksgiving approached.

Feeling a part of family and the broader community is what continues to bring Viola Garcia to the Salvation Army's dinner.

"My mom used to bring us every year. We've been doing this for a long time," Garcia said.

She sat at a table with family members, including her great-granddaughter, Dulce Valles, who was holding the newest member of the family, her 2-month-old son, Abram to experience the traditional dinner.

"I like the welcoming feeling, the environment," Garcia said. "It's nice, because they don't do this every day. It seems to be going out of style, with people thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving."

The holiday that celebrates the nation's start and calls on us to be grateful for what we have wasn't lost on those who shared their meal together at the Salvation Army.

"I posted on my Facebook page that during this time of year, there a lot of people who have lost somebody," Reynolds said. "We should not only pray for those people that have had a loss but invite them in and let them be a part of what you're doing. A lot of people need people."